The Commentariat -- August 2, 2019

Afternoon Update:

Your Friday Afternoon Twitter Dump:

Our great Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe is being treated very unfairly by the LameStream Media. Rather than going through months of slander and libel, I explained to John how miserable it would be for him and his family to deal with these people.... ...John has therefore decided to stay in Congress where he has done such an outstanding job representing the people of Texas, and our Country. I will be announcing my nomination for DNI shortly. -- Donald Trump, in tweet today ...

... ** Another One of the Best Nominations Explodes. Charlie Savage, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump on Friday abruptly dropped his plan to nominate Representative John Ratcliffe, Republican of Texas, as the nation's top intelligence official, following bipartisan questions about his qualifications and pushback over whether he had exaggerated his résumé. Mr. Ratcliffe, an outspoken supporter of Mr. Trump, has come under intense scrutiny since the president declared Sunday on Twitter that the lawmaker was his pick to succeed Dan Coats, who is stepping down as director of national intelligence on Aug. 15. The selection generated scant enthusiasm among senators of both parties who would have been decided whether to confirm him. Mr. Trump's announcement that Mr. Ratcliffe would not be his nominee after all, also made on Twitter, spoke bitterly of the attention Mr. Ratcliffe's claims about his experience as a federal prosecutor quickly received from the news media.... The backtrack leaves Mr. Trump without any obvious candidate to fill one of the country's most important national-security jobs, heightening scrutiny on what will happen with Sue Gordon, Mr. Coats's No. 2. Mr. Trump has already decided not to allow her to rise to the role of acting director of national intelligence when Mr. Coats steps down, according to people familiar with his plans." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: A normal president would have his potential nominees vetted before announcing their nominations. Trump, however, does no vetting & picks the Fox "News" denizen he likes best, leaving it to media to do the vetting his staff should have done. Then he complains that the "LameStreamMedia" treated his lame-stream nominee "very unfairly." But nothing is ever Trump's fault.

... Julian Barnes & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The White House is planning to block Sue Gordon, the nation's No. 2 intelligence official, from rising to the role of acting director of national intelligence when Dan Coats steps down this month, according to people familiar with the Trump administration's plans.... Mr. Trump did not allow Ms. Gordon to personally deliver a recent intelligence briefing after she arrived at the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter. A federal statute says that if the position of director of national intelligence becomes vacant, the deputy director -- currently Ms. Gordon -- shall serve as acting director. But there appears to be a loophole: The law gives the White House much more flexibility in choosing who to appoint as the acting deputy if the No. 2 position is vacant, said Robert M. Chesney, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin.... On Friday, Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, who is the committee's vice chairman, said that the law was 'quite clear' that the acting role goes to the deputy when the director of national intelligence leaves and that Ms. Gordon had the Senate's confidence."

Jordan Fabian of the Hill: "President Trump on Friday signed a sweeping budget deal that increases federal spending and lifts the nation's borrowing limit, the White House said. The new law suspends the debt ceiling through July 2021, removing the threat of a default during the 2020 elections, and raises domestic and military spending by more than $320 billion compared to existing law over the next two fiscal years. Trump signed the measure without fanfare at the White House one day after the Senate voted 67-28 to send it to his desk. The House last week passed the budget package by a vote of 284-149 before starting its August recess."

Patrick Condon of the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Sen. Amy Klobuchar's campaign said Friday that she has met the requirements to participate in the third and fourth Democratic presidential debates[.] The Democratic National Committee set both polling and fundraising thresholds that candidates must hit in order to make the debate stage in September and October. Klobuchar previously reached at least 2% support in four early-state or national polls; now, her campaign said, the Minnesota Democrat also has reached 130,000 individual donors to her campaign."

Jacqueline Thomsen of the Hill: "A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled Friday against a Trump administration policy that would only allow migrants who enter the U.S. through legal ports of entry to claim asylum, the latest blow against the administration's agenda. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss, an Obama appointee, threw out the policy, finding it to be 'inconsistent with' the Immigration and Nationality Act. The policy has been already blocked by a federal judge in San Francisco and is now being appealed before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals."

Thanks, Supremes! Tom McCarthy of the Guardian: "US election jurisdictions with histories of egregious voter discrimination have been purging voter rolls at a rate 40% beyond the national average, according to a watchdog report released on Thursday. At least 17 million voters were purged nationwide between 2016 and 2018, according to a study by the Brennan Center for Justice. The number was basically unchanged from the previous two-year period. While the rate of voter purges elsewhere has declined slowly, jurisdictions released from federal oversight by a watershed 2013 supreme court ruling had purge rates 'significantly higher' than jurisdictions not previously subjected to oversight, the Brennan Center found in a previous report. That trend has continued, the watchdog said, with the disproportionate purging of voters resulting in an estimated 1.1 million fewer voters between 2016 and 2018. Voter purges accelerated in the United States with the 2013 Shelby County v Holder ruling, which released counties with histories of voter discrimination from federal oversight imposed by the 1965 Voting Rights Act." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: The voters' worst enemy is not the self-serving southern Republican legislator plotting to deprive Democratic-leaning voters of the franchise but the high-and-mighty Supreme Court confederates who are protecting that little snot in the state legislature. The Robert Court is a shameful throwback to an anti-democratic status system.

Rachel Frazin of the Hill: "The Trump administration is reportedly planning to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan in a new deal negotiated with the Taliban Thursday. The Washington Post reported that the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan would be reduced to between 8,000 and 9,000 from the current 14,000, citing U.S. officials. In exchange, the Taliban would reportedly have to begin negotiating a peace deal with the Afghan government; the deal would also involve a cease-fire and a Taliban renunciation of al Qaeda. The proposal is the result of months of talks between the Taliban and Zalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan-born American diplomat, according to the Post."

Eliana Johnson of Politico: "... Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing sanctions on Russia for its use of chemical weapons in the 2018 attack on the Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, according to two U.S. officials. The Trump administration imposed a round of sanctions last year, as required by a 1991 law. The same law requires the president to impose a second round of sanctions if he cannot determine that the state in question has stopped using chemical weapons -- and U.S. intelligence agencies were unable to make that determination with regard to Russia.... But the president, who has been loath to antagonize Russian President Vladimir Putin, dragged his feet on imposing the second round of sanctions. En route to a rally in Cincinnati on Thursday, he continued to minimize the threat of Russian interference in U.S. elections. Asked by a reporter whether Russia is continuing to meddle in American elections, Trump responded, 'You don't really believe this. Do you believe this?'"

Brett Samuels of the Hill: President* "Trump on Friday morning reacted to reports that a Baltimore home owned by [Rep. Elijah] Cummings had been robbed following days of attacks from the president on the congressman and the city [of Baltimore]. 'Really bad news! The Baltimore house of Elijah Cummings was robbed. Too bad!' Trump [wrote in a tweet apparently meant to mock Cummings]. Cummings in a statement on Friday confirmed the incident and said he scared the intruder away by yelling before they were [Mrs. McC: "he was"] able to enter the residence.... Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley on Friday pushed back against ... Trump's tweet...[: 'This is so unnecessary,' [she tweeted.]"

Ashley Southall & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "Five years after Eric Garner died in police custody and ignited a national outcry, a police administrative judge recommended on Friday that the officer who placed him in a chokehold during the botched arrest should be fired, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The judge's decision sets in motion the final stage of a long legal and political battle over the fate of the officer, Daniel Pantaleo, who has become for many critics of the department an emblem of what they see as overly aggressive policing in black and Hispanic neighborhoods.... Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat running for president, has resisted pushing for the officer's dismissal for years, saying he was respecting due process. He was heckled at a national debate on Wednesday night by protesters shouting 'Fire Pantaleo,' and vowed that Mr. Garner's family would soon receive justice. The judge's recommendation comes two weeks after Attorney General William P. Barr announced that the Justice Department would not seek a federal indictment against the officer on civil rights charges, ending five years of internal debate among federal prosecutors." It will be up to New York's police commissioner James O'Neil to decide Pantaleo's fate. ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: The story has been updated, adding the byline of Ali Watkins, and including an account of a press conference Mayor de Blasio gave Friday in which he announced he could not say anything! “'Today, for the first time in these long five years, the system of justice is working,' Mr. de Blasio said. He continued, 'I want to remind everyone, this is an ongoing legal matter, so there's very little I can add.'"

~~~~~~~~~~

Both the New York Times & Washington Post are now prohibiting nonsubscribers from opening stories in private mode. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to break down & subscribe to the Washington Post (I have a NYT subscription.) What I'll try to do is use other sources for news events, and when I cannot, I'll link the NYT & WashPo stories & try to find summaries elsewhere for nonsubscribers. I have avoided linking to WashPo stories for a month, but both these papers are so essential to news & opinion that I can't cover political news without relying on them. For news & opinion that is exclusive to these papers, I'll try to capture as much of the pieces' essence as possible. -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie

Charlie Savage & Edward Wong of the New York Times: "The United States on Friday terminated a major treaty of the Cold War, the Intermediate Nuclear Forces agreement, and it is already planning to start testing a new class of missiles later this summer. But the new missiles are unlikely to be deployed to counter the treaty's other nuclear power, Russia, which the United States has said for years was in violation of the accord. Instead, the first deployments are likely to be intended to counter China, which has amassed an imposing missile arsenal and is now seen as a much more formidable long-term strategic rival than Russia. The moves by Washington have elicited concern that the United States may be on the precipice of a new arms race, especially because the one major remaining arms control treaty with Russia, a far larger one called New START, appears on life support, unlikely to be renewed when it expires in less than two years."

Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "President Trump escalated his trade war with China on Thursday, saying that the United States would impose a 10 percent tariff on an additional $300 billion worth of Chinese imports after China failed to keep its promise to buy more American agricultural products. Mr. Trump, who had agreed in June not to impose more tariffs while the two sides tried to reach a trade deal, said on Twitter that the new tariffs would go into effect on Sept. 1. Those new levies would be in addition to the 25 percent tariff that has already been imposed on $250 billion of imports and would essentially tax all Chinese products sent into the United States.... The president's comments hammered the stock market." (Also linked yesterday.) ...

... Jennifer Jacobs, et al., of Bloomberg: "... Donald Trump resisted giving Beijing advance notice of his intent to slap a new 10% tariff on $300 billion in Chinese goods in an Oval Office meeting before he announced the duties, according to several people familiar with the discussion.... [Treasury Secretary Steven] Mnuchin recommended that the U.S. notify Beijing before Trump announced the new tariffs, the people said. Trump demurred, but with his permission [U.S. Trade Rep. Robert] Lighthizer later attempted to place a call to Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, who is the country's lead trade negotiator. He didn't answer. Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney talked through the market effects of increasing the China tariffs, the people said. Trump hit send on his tweets announcing the new tariffs at 1:26, while Mnuchin, Lighthizer, Mulvaney and others were still in the Oval Office."

... Matt Phillips of the New York Times: “A fresh tariff threat from President Trump sank stocks on Thursday, pushing the S&P 500 to its fourth consecutive daily decline and reinvigorating investor worries about the outlook for the global economy.... Just before 1:30 p.m., Mr. Trump said on Twitter that the United States would impose a 10 percent tariff on an additional $300 billion worth of Chinese imports starting in September.... 'There's no ambiguity about what's pushed us off the ledge,' said Ian Burdette ... of Tribal Capital Markets. 'The tweet just really took the wind out of the sails.'" ...

... BBC News: "... Donald Trump's trade war with China is backfiring and impacting the US economy, according to his former chief economic adviser. The tariff battle has had a 'dramatic impact' on US manufacturing and capital investment, Gary Cohn told the BBC. The trade war was 'a very convenient excuse' for China to slow down its overheated economy, he added. Mr Cohn, a free trade advocate, resigned from the Trump administration in March 2018. The 59-year-old former president of Goldman Sachs bank was an unusual hire for Mr Trump because he was a Democrat...." (Also linked yesterday.)

Jacqueline Feldscher of Politico: "The Pentagon is slamming the brakes on its mega-competition to award a $10 billion cloud computing contract after ... Donald Trump suggested the Defense Department might have rigged the contest in favor of Amazon, a frequent target of his criticism. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who assumed his post July 23, is now reviewing accusations of unfairness in the fiercely fought competition, the Pentagon announced Thursday, marking the president's latest incursion into the arcane world of Defense Department contracting. Oracle has reportedly waged an aggressive lobbying campaign to push back on the competition, including talking with members of Congress and preparing a graphic that made its way to the president's desk..... The contracting process has been plagued by controversy that pre-dates Trump's involvement, including allegations by rival bidders that the competition unfairly favored Amazon...."

Jonathan Lemire & Dan Sewell of the AP: "... Donald Trump used a revved-up rally Thursday in Cincinnati to tear into the Democrats he has been elevating as his new political foils, attacking four liberal congresswomen of color and their party's urban leaders, while also training fire on those he could be facing in 2020. But the president mostly avoided the racial controversy that has dominated recent weeks as he basked in front of the raucous crowd for nearly 90 minutes, unleashing broadside after broadside on his political foes. Trump, who had faced widespread criticism for not doing more to stop the chants of 'Send her back' about Somali-born Rep. Ilhan Omar at a rally last month, seemed to want to avoid further furor, saying he would prefer his supporters avoid the chant. He largely stuck to a greatest hits performance.... Speaking to reporters before leaving the White House for Cincinnati, Trump said..., 'I don't know that you can stop people,' Trump told reporters. 'If they do the chant, we'll have to see what happens.'" The story has been updated. ...

... Gabby Orr of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Thursday accused his 'extremist left-wing' opponents of ruining America's inner cities -- escalating his attacks against influential progressive voices and painting the Democratic presidential primary as a referendum on Barack Obama's legacy.... Trump specifically went after Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who drew praise for her debate performance this week. 'She's lying and cheating her way through' the presidential primary Trump said. 'She defrauded people with her credentials. She said, "I'm Indian," and I said, "I have more Indian blood than she does and I have none. I'm sorry."' He also mocked former Vice President Joe Biden, 76, for his age, suggesting the current Democratic front-runner would be taken advantage of as president because he as 'no clue what the hell he is doing.'"

Richard Fontaine in the Atlantic: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made news this week by suggesting that ... Donald Trump has instructed him to pursue troop reductions in Afghanistan by Election Day 2020. 'He's been unambiguous,' Pompeo said. 'End the endless wars. Draw down. Reduce.' After an uproar, the secretary blamed sloppy press reporting and said that any withdrawals of U.S. forces from Afghanistan will be based on conditions on the ground[, not on election-driven expediency]. Any pegging of American troop withdrawals to the U.S. political calendar would represent a strategic mistake, and it's one that Trump himself rightly criticized Barack Obama for making during the previous administration.... The success of ... negotiation[s] depends on a credible U.S. commitment to stay in Afghanistan without a deal, and that is precisely what the administration undermines by expressing eagerness to abandon the theater."

Once Upon a Time

Trump's Very Principled Reason for Breaking up with Epstein. Matt Stieb of New York: "... according to a new report from the Washington Post, in 2004, the pair let a mansion ... tear them apart. Bidding on Maison de l'Amitie in Palm Beach, both Trump and Epstein really wanted to win the oceanfront property being sold out of bankruptcy. The trustee in the case, Joseph Luzinski, told the Post of the process: 'It was something like, Donald saying, "You don't want to do a deal with him, he doesn't have the money," while Epstein was saying: "Donald is all talk. He doesn't have the money." They both really wanted it.' Around that time, Trump banned the financier from Mar-a-Lago without giving an explanation.... [Businessman Abe] Gosman had purchased the property in 1988 for around $12 million from Leslie Wexner, Epstein's benefactor; with a strong initial bid at-auction of $37.25 million, it appeared the financier was about to take it back. But bidding soon shot up to $38.6 million and 'Trump had made up his mind to get it no matter the price,' a lawyer present at the auction told the Washington Post. Trump's bid eventually rose to $41.35 million, and he won the house. That month also marked the last known contact between the two: Shortly after the auction, Trump left two voicemails for Epstein at his Palm Beach home.... Two weeks after the auction, Palm Beach police followed up on a tip that young girls were seen frequently leaving Epstein's house." Mrs. McC: Maybe you're wondering who tipped off the cops. The WashPo report is here.

Trump's Brush with Death That Wasn't. Lee Moran of the Huffington Post: "... Donald Trump made up a story that he narrowly avoided boarding a helicopter that crashed and killed five people, according to a former longtime executive of the Trump Organization. Barbara Res, who was the company's vice president in charge of construction, recalled to MSNBC's Ari Melber on Tuesday how three Trump casino executives and two crew members were killed in the October 1989 disaster. They were returning to Atlantic City from promoting a boxing match in New York City when the aircraft went down.... Res condemned Trump for 'making himself part of the story, a very important story and undermining the fact that three people died, just like he is undermining what happened in 9/11 by exploiting it.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

More on One of the Latest Stupid Trump Tricks. Julia Jacobs, et al., of the New York Times: "President Trump's bid to rescue a rap star, ASAP Rocky, who is being held in a Stockholm jail, has spiraled into a situation the administration has apparently decided requires a diplomat typically used to free hostages from war-torn countries. But the country in question has not been touched by war in more than 70 years, and Rocky is not a hostage -- or, in any case, not by any commonly accepted definition of the term. He is a defendant in a criminal case, accused of assaulting a man on a Stockholm street a month ago. Mr. Trump's special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, Robert C. O'Brien, first appeared on Tuesday in the courtroom in Stockholm, where Rocky and two members of his entourage are standing trial.

The Trump Scandals, Ctd.

Ben Protess & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "State prosecutors in Manhattan subpoenaed President Trump's family business on Thursday, reviving an investigation into the company's role in hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to people briefed on the matter. The subpoena, issued by th Manhattan district attorney's office, demanded the Trump Organization provide documents related to money that had been used to buy the silence of Stormy Daniels, a pornographic film actress who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump. The inquiry from the district attorney's office, which is in early stages, is examining whether any senior executives at the company filed false business records about the hush money, which would be a state crime, the people said.... The Manhattan district attorney's office on Thursday separately subpoenaed the media company, American Media Inc., the publisher of the National Enquirer. The subpoenas from Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, came only weeks after the Trump Organization had appeared to fend off federal scrutiny of the same payments."

Not That We're Counting, But ... Kyle Cheney of Politico: "More than half of House Democrats say they would vote to launch impeachment proceedings against ... Donald Trump, a crucial threshold that backers say will require Speaker Nancy Pelosi to reconsider her steadfast opposition. 'The President's repeated abuses have brought American democracy to a perilous crossroads,' said Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who announced his support on Tuesday. 'Following the guidance of the Constitution -- which I have sworn to uphold -- is the only way to achieve justice.' Democrats who support impeachment proceedings eclipsed the halfway mark -- 118 out of 235 voting members -- on Thursday, when Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida announced his support. Deutch was also the 23rd Democratic lawmaker to support impeachment proceedings in the week since former special counsel Robert Mueller testified to Congress, affirming publicly his damning evidence that Trump attempted to obstruct justice." (Also linked yesterday.) ...

... "The Inquiry Has Already Begun." Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) in an Orlando Sun Sentinel op-ed: "Although Special Counsel Robert Mueller's testimony may not have been a summer blockbuster, it confirmed the damning conclusions of his report. The investigation revealed substantial evidence that President Trump obstructed justice. And that the Special Counsel did not exonerate him. President Trump claimed victory. He seems to think that Mueller's performance wasn't enough to trigger an impeachment inquiry. Sorry, Mr. President, the question is no longer whether the House should vote to proceed with a formal impeachment inquiry. The inquiry has already begun.... The Judiciary Committee officially started its investigation into the abuse of power by President Trump on March 4, 2019.... In every meaningful way, our investigation is an impeachment inquiry. The Judiciary Committee already has the power to refer articles of impeachment to the whole House."

Orion Rummler of Axios: "Former FBI Director James Comey will not be charged by the DOJ for leaking memos he wrote about his White House contacts, including President Trump, the Washington Post reports.... Comey's memos -- parts of which included redacted classified information -- were of interest to ... Robert Mu[e]ller's investigation into potential obstruction of justice by the president. DOJ prosecutors declined to prosecute Comey after a referral from inspector general Michael Horowitz 'in part because they didn't believe there was evidence to show Comey knew and intended to violate laws on handling classified information,' CNN reports. Sources told both the Post and Fox News that the decision not to prosecute was 'not a close call.'" ...

... Adam Edelman of NBC News: "The leaked memo said that Trump had asked him to shut down an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, raising questions about potential obstruction of justice by the president.... The memo was part of a paper trail Comey built documenting what he believed to be Trump's campaign to derail the FBI's investigation of alleged Russian ties to his presidential campaign.... The day after The New York Times in May 2017 published a report about the memos, the Department of Justice announced that former FBI Director Bob Mueller would take over the investigation as special counsel. The turn of events left Trump furious, leading him on a years-long, Twitter-fueled warpath against Comey and the credibility of the special counsel."

Trump as a Terrorism Threat

Jana Winter in Yahoo! News: "The FBI for the first time has identified fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic terrorist threat, according to a previously unpublicized document obtained by Yahoo News.... The FBI intelligence bulletin from the bureau's Phoenix field office, dated May 30, 2019, describes 'conspiracy theory-driven domestic extremists,' as a growing threat, and notes that it is the first such report to do so. It lists a number of arrests, including some that haven't been publicized, related to violent incidents motivated by fringe beliefs. The document specifically mentions QAnon, a shadowy network that believes in a deep state conspiracy against President Trump, and Pizzagate, the theory that a pedophile ring including Clinton associates was being run out of the basement of a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant (which didn't actually have a basement)."

President* Retweets FBI-Designated Terrorist Threat Group. Alex Kaplan of Media Matters: "On Twitter..., Donald Trump has amplified supporters of the conspiracy theory more than 20 times. Trump has also met with multiple supporters of the conspiracy theory at the White House, and a supporter of the conspiracy theory is co-chair of a coalition group for his reelection campaign." Story includes details of Trump's "retweeted, quote tweeted, tagged, and shared content from QAnon supporters."

Greg Sargent, via digby: "FBI director Christopher A. Wray and other FBI officials recently said the bureau has recorded some 90 domestic terrorism arrests in the past nine months, and of the cases that involve a racial motive, a majority are thought to be driven by white supremacy. More broadly, FBI officials have also said that of the hundreds of overall domestic terrorism cases being investigated, a majority of those that are racially motivated are thought to be white supremacist in nature. But here's what we need to know more about: what those officials think about the impact of Trump's rhetoric on such activity."

Frank Figliuzzi in a New York Times op-ed: "... the F.B.I. says that of its 850 pending domestic terror investigations, about 40 percent involve racially motivated extremism. In 2017 and 2018, the F.B.I. made more arrests connected to domestic terror than to international terrorism, which includes groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State and their lone-wolf recruits.... Reporting indicates that Mr. Trump's rants emboldened white hate groups and reinforced racist blogs, news sites and social media platforms.... He empowers hateful and potentially violent individuals with his divisive rhetoric and his unwillingness to unequivocally denounce white supremacy.... If a president paints people of color as the enemy, encourages them to be sent back to where they came from and implies that no humans want to live in certain American cities, he gives license to those who feel compelled to eradicate what Mr. Trump calls an infestation."

Elijah Cummings is the pride of Baltimore.... The president -- this comes as no surprise -- really doesn't know what he's talking about. But maybe you could ask his son-in-law, who's a slumlord there, if he wants to talk about rodent infestations. -- Baltimore native Nancy Pelosi, Thursday ...

... One Domestic Terrorist Act That Wasn't Trump's Fault. WJZ Baltimore: "Baltimore Police are investigating after the home of Rep. Elijah Cummings was broken into early Saturday morning. This was several hours before ... Donald Trump tweeted criticizing Cummings and his district including Baltimore."

Lauren Gardner of Politico: "The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft to become the top American envoy to the United Nations, despite criticism from some Democrats that she lacks the experience needed for the key diplomatic position and was routinely absent from her post in Ottawa." Mrs. McC: Knowing Trump's opinion of the U.N., Craft should have no trouble treating this new gig as yet a second no-show job. (Also linked yesterday.)

Taegan Goddard of Political Wire: "'President Trump's nominee to be the nation's next spy chief is regarded as a relatively disengaged member of the House Intelligence Committee and is little known across the ranks of spy agencies he has been tapped to lead,' the Washington Post reports. 'Though Rep. John Ratcliffe's membership on the House committee is perhaps his most important credential for the top intelligence job, officials said he has yet to take part in one of its overseas trips to learn more about spy agencies' work. It is also unclear whether Ratcliffe has spent much time at the headquarters of the CIA, the National Security Agency or other parts of the sprawling U.S. intelligence community that he has been nominated to direct.'" ...

... Ratcliffe Isn't Nearly the Badass He Says He Is. Washington Post via New York: "'As a U.S. Attorney, I arrested over 300 illegal immigrants on a single day,' Ratcliffe (R-Tex.) says on his congressional website. But a closer look at the case shows that Ratcliffe's claims conflict with the court record and the recollections of others who participated in the operation -- at a time when he is under fire for embellishing his record ... Only 45 workers were charged by prosecutors in Ratcliffe's office, court documents show." No link.

Burgess Everett & John Bresnahan of Politico: "The Senate has advanced a budget deal on a 67-27 vote, paving the way for final passage and ... Donald Trump's signature." (Also linked yesterday.)

Presidential Race 2020

Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "The Democratic National Committee has set stricter criteria for the third set of debates, which will be held on Sept. 12 and Sept. 13 in Houston. If 10 or fewer candidates qualify, the debate will take place on only one night. Candidates will need to have 130,000 unique donors and register at least 2 percent support in four polls. They have until Aug. 28 to reach those benchmarks.... Seven candidates have already met both qualification thresholds": Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Beto O'Rourke, Bernie Sanders & Elizabeth Warren. (Also linked yesterday.)

Frank Rich: "What's obvious to all is that the field cannot be winnowed down a minute too soon. The time has come for the week’s best debaters, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, to stop acting like a tag team and start drawing sharp distinctions (besides personality) between themselves. One or both of them must face off with the last centrists or sort-of centrists standing: most likely, Biden, Kamala Harris, Buttigieg, and (possibly) Cory Booker."

Congressional Races 2020. Scott Bland of Politico: "Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, the only black Republican in the House, won't seek reelection in 2020, he announced on Thursday.... Hurd, a former CIA officer who was first elected in 2014, has been an advocate for bipartisan compromise on immigration and other key issues in Congress. And he has spoken out numerous times against ... Donald Trump, often warning that the president's rhetoric and positions were hurting the Republican Party.... Hurd is the sixth House Republican to in the past two weeks to announce his retirement, as the GOP adjusts to both life in the minority and the continued transformation of the party under Trump.... Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones, a veteran who barely lost to Hurd in 2018, is already running for the seat again in 2020."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Philippines. Daniel Victor of the New York Times: "A Jordanian man once considered a financier for Al Qaeda and a 'henchman' of Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law was arrested in the Philippines in July, officials said on Thursday, reinforcing concerns that Islamist militants are making a base in the country. Mahmoud Afif Abdeljalil, 51, was arrested on July 4 in Zamboanga, a coastal city at the southwestern tip of Mindanao, the nation's second-largest island. Mr. Abdeljalil had false documents under an assumed name, Jaime Morente, the chief of the Bureau of Immigration, said in a statement. Mr. Abdeljalil, whom the authorities called 'a former henchman' connected to the bin Laden family, has been in government custody since the arrest.... T

U.K. Jill Lawless of the AP: "British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's governing Conservative Party lost a special election early Friday, leaving it with a one-vote working majority in Parliament as Brexit looms. In the Conservatives' first electoral test since Johnson became prime minister nine days ago, the party was defeated for the seat of Brecon and Radnorshire in Wales by Jane Dodds of the opposition Liberal Democrats. Dodds won 43% of the vote, while Conservative Chris Davies, who was fighting to retain the seat after being convicted and fined for expenses fraud, got 39%. The result makes it harder for Johnson's government to pass laws and win votes in Parliament, with Brexit scheduled to happen in less than three months."

The Commentariat -- August 1, 2019

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Elijah Cummings is the pride of Baltimore.... The president -- this comes as no surprise -- really doesn't know what he's talking about. But maybe you could ask his son-in-law, who's a slumlord there, if he wants to talk about rodent infestations. -- Baltimore native Nancy Pelosi, Thursday

Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "President Trump escalated his trade war with China on Thursday, saying that the United States would impose a 10 percent tariff on an additional $300 billion worth of Chinese imports after China failed to keep its promise to buy more American agricultural products. Mr. Trump, who had agreed in June not to impose more tariffs while the two sides tried to reach a trade deal, said on Twitter that the new tariffs would go into effect on Sept. 1. Those new levies would be in addition to the 25 percent tariff that has already been imposed on $250 billion of imports and would essentially tax all Chinese products sent into the United States.... The president's comments hammered the stock market."

Burgess Everett & John Bresnahan of Politico: "The Senate has advanced a budget deal on a 67-27 vote, paving the way for final passage and ... Donald Trump's signature."

Not That We're Counting, But ... Kyle Cheney of Politico: "More than half of House Democrats say they would vote to launch impeachment proceedings against ... Donald Trump, a crucial threshold that backers say will require Speaker Nancy Pelosi to reconsider her steadfast opposition. 'The President's repeated abuses have brought American democracy to a perilous crossroads,' said Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who announced his support on Tuesday. 'Following the guidance of the Constitution -- which I have sworn to uphold -- is the only way to achieve justice.' Democrats who support impeachment proceedings eclipsed the halfway mark -- 118 out of 235 voting members -- on Thursday, when Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida announced his support. Deutch was also the 23rd Democratic lawmaker to support impeachment proceedings in the week since former special counsel Robert Mueller testified to Congress, affirming publicly his damning evidence that Trump attempted to obstruct justice."

Maggie Astor of the New York Times: "The Democratic National Committee has set stricter criteria for the third set of debates, which will be held on Sept. 12 and Sept. 13 in Houston. If 10 or fewer candidates qualify, the debate will take place on only one night. Candidates will need to have 130,000 unique donors and register at least 2 percent support in four polls. They have until Aug. 28 to reach those benchmarks.... Seven candidates have already met both qualification thresholds": Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Beto O'Rourke, Bernie Sanders & Elizabeth Warren.

BBC News: "... Donald Trump's trade war with China is backfiring and impacting the US economy, according to his former chief economic adviser. The tariff battle has had a 'dramatic impact' on US manufacturing and capital investment, Gary Cohn told the BBC. The trade war was 'a very convenient excuse' for China to slow down its overheated economy, he added. Mr Cohn, a free trade advocate, resigned from the Trump administration in March 2018. The 59-year-old former president of Goldman Sachs bank was an unusual hire for Mr Trump because he was a Democrat...."

Lauren Gardner of Politico: "The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft to become the top American envoy to the United Nations, despite criticism from some Democrats that she lacks the experience needed for the key diplomatic position and was routinely absent from her post in Ottawa." Mrs. McC: Knowing Trump's opinion of the U.N., Craft should have no trouble treating this new gig as a second no-show job.

Trump's Brush with Death That Wasn't. Lee Moran of the Huffington Post: "... Donald Trump made up a story that he narrowly avoided boarding a helicopter that crashed and killed five people, according to a former longtime executive of the Trump Organization. Barbara Res, who was the company's vice president..., recalled to MSNBC's Ari Melber on Tuesday how three Trump casino executives and two crew members were killed in the October 1989 disaster. They were returning to Atlantic City from promoting a boxing match in New York City when the aircraft went down.... Res condemned Trump for 'making himself part of the story, a very important story and undermining the fact that three people died, just like he is undermining what happened in 9/11 by exploiting it.'"

Daniel Victor of the New York Times: "A Jordanian man once considered a financier for Al Qaeda and a 'henchman' of Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law was arrested in the Philippines in July, officials said on Thursday, reinforcing concerns that Islamist militants are making a base in the country. Mahmoud Afif Abdeljalil, 51, was arrested on July 4 in Zamboanga, a coastal city at the southwestern tip of Mindanao, the nation's second-largest island. Mr. Abdeljalil had false documents under an assumed name, Jaime Morente, the chief of the Bureau of Immigration, said in a statement. Mr. Abdeljalil, whom the authorities called 'a former henchman' connected to the bin Laden family, has been in government custody since the arrest.... The Islamic State has risen in the Philippines, even as its presence decreases in the Middle East."

~~~~~~~~~~

Presidential Race 2020

Alexander Burns & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. delivered a steadfast defense of his moderate policies in the Democratic primary debate on Wednesday, striking back at a familiar adversary, Senator Kamala Harris, but facing intensifying attacks on his record from liberal rivals including Senator Cory Booker and Julián Castro, the former housing secretary.... As he did at times in the first debate, he cut some of his answers short and stumbled over lines.... In the opening moments of the debate, Mr. Biden took particular aim at Ms. Harris, accusing her of peddling 'double talk' on health care.... Ms. Harris also came under fire and did not appear as steady as she did in the first debate...."

Jonathan Chait: "The most important development of the debate is that Joe Biden recovered.... If not for Biden's recovery, Cory Booker's performance might have emerged as a major storyline of the debate. Booker never stumbled and managed to deliver coherent answers with broad appeal within his party.... [Kamala] Harris and Booker have the same problem: they need Joe Biden to collapse, and for the moment, that isn't happening."

Benjamin Wallace-Wells of the New Yorker: "The trouble for Biden has been that you can't assemble a biography by pulling selectively from your own past. As the debate went on, his rivals poked deeper into his record, pushing Biden further from the Party's present progressive consensus.... The Democratic field looked stronger, if more quarrelsome, on Wednesday night than it did on Tuesday. The candidates drew clearer and more meaningful distinctions, the arguments were feistier and more specific, the wisdom of a sharp progressive turn challenged more directly."

When Biden Endorsed Booker. Adam Raymond of New York: "Roughly an hour into Wednesday's debate, [Joe] Biden and [Cory] Booker got their chance to square off. Booker called out Biden's criminal justice reform plan as an attempt to put out a house fire that he'd set himself. But Biden came with his own opposition file prepared, hitting Booker for 'hiring Rudy Guiliani's guy' when he was mayor of Newark and increasing stop and frisk. Booker's best moments came not when defending himself on the substance, but when he deployed some crowd-pleasing lines.... Booker also benefited from a Biden slip up. The former vice president accidentally called Booker the president, then jokingly called him the 'future president.'"

Food Fight. Adam Raymond: "Here are the most entertaining moments from the last of the debates with this ridiculously large field (qualifying for the next debate is much harder, thankfully).... As each candidate was brought to the stage, [Joe] Biden welcomed Kamala Harris with some good old-fashioned condescension. 'Go easy on me, kid,' Biden said to the 54-year-old United States senator.... Julián Castro ... wasn't so progressive on immigration a decade ago, Biden alleged. Castro didn't dispute the point, but he did point out his evolution on the issue: 'It looks like one of us has learned the lessons of the past, and one of us hasn't.'" And more.

New York Times reporters are liveblogging Wednesday night's Democratic presidential debate.

** Henry Grabar of Slate: "On Wednesday night, after Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet articulated the argument that the failure of impeachment in the Senate will only allow Trump to claim he's been cleared by Congress, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro effectively demolished that case for an audience of millions: '... Senator, I think that too many folks in the Senate and in the Congress have been spooked by 1998. I believe that the times are different. And, in fact, I think that folks are making a mistake by not pursuing impeachment. The Mueller report clearly details that he deserves it, and what's going to happen in the fall of next year, of 2020, if they don't impeach him, is he's going to say, "You see. You see. The Democrats didn't go after me on impeachment. And you know why? Because I didn't do anything wrong. These folks that always investigate me -- they're always trying to go after me. When it came down to it, they didn't go after me there because I didn't do anything wrong." Conversely, if Mitch McConnell is the one that lets him off the look, we're going to be able to say, "Well, sure, they impeached him in the House, but his friend Mitch McConnell, Moscow Mitch, let him off the hook."'" ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: The so-called moderate Democrats like Bennet & Biden repeatedly remind us of why we need a more progressive candidate: the moderates hold tired, recycled opinions that can't even be called ideas because somebody else came up with them long ago & in some cases, they've become the conventional wisdom. Voters were not at all satisfied with conventional wisdom in 2016; there's no reason to think they will be in 2020. Candidates like Castro & Warren are able to think for themselves; their ideas might not always be the best, but they're pretty good, and they didn't buy them in the remainders bin.

     ... Click thru to Part 2.

Joshua Keating of Slate: White House uses Wednesday debate time to finally acknowledge Trump-Putin phone call. Worth reading every word. As usual, Trump is hilariously obtuse & White House staff abstruse -- until you consider the consequences.

Trump Attacks Another Black Man. Jessica Campisi of the Hill: "President Trump took aim at Don Lemon Wednesday, calling him 'the dumbest man on television' over a question the CNN host asked during Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate. 'CNN's Don Lemon, the dumbest man on television, insinuated last night while asking a debate "question" that I was a racist, when in fact I am "the least racist person in the world." Perhaps someone should explain to Don that he is supposed to be neutral, unbiased & fair or is he too dumb (stupid} to understand that,' Trump tweeted." Mrs. McC: This is at least the third time Trump has called Lemon "dumb," consistent with his habit of disparaging the intelligence of black public figures and black voters. There were two white moderators at Tuesday night's debate -- Jake Tapper & Dana Bash -- asking dumb questions, too, but for some reason Trump gave them a pass.

Tim Ryan Might Not Be the Brightest Bulb on the Stage. Hanna Trudo of the Daily Beast: "Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) spent a good chunk of Tuesday night's presidential debate warning that Medicare for All would politically ruin Democrats. The day after, he predicted that the ambitious health care proposal would prompt an electoral bloodbath for the party in November 2020.... [Ryan is] currently [one of more than 100] co-sponsor[s] of a House bill pushing a single-payer health care system.... The bill would guarantee that the government picks up the cost of all medical expenses for Americans.... Notably, the plan states that private insurers would be prohibited from selling competing plans."

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "The Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark rate by a quarter point Wednesday as an insurance policy not against what's wrong with the economy now, but what could go wrong in the future. It was the first rate cut by the central bank in more than a decade. Amid ... Donald Trump's intense political pressure and persistent market expectations, the policymaking Federal Open Market Committee dropped the target range for its overnight lending rate to 2% to 2.25%, or 25 basis points from the previous level." ...

... Fed Tries to Protect Economy from Trump. Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "The widely expected quarter-point move, the Fed's first since it cut rates to near zero in 2008, is meant to protect the economy against the potentially harmful effects of a growth slowdown in China and Europe and uncertainty from President Trump's trade war." (Also linked yesterday.) ...

... Fred Imbert of CNBC: "Stocks fell to their lows of the day on Wednesday as the top Federal Reserve official dampened hopes for further rate cuts later this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 245 points lower, or 0.9%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite slid 0.8% and 0.8%, respectively. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters the central bank's rate cut was a mid-cycle adjustment,' hinting that further rate cuts later this year are not a sure thing." (Also linked yesterday.)

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Trump intervened Tuesday once again on behalf of a Navy SEAL who was charged but acquitted of war crimes in the death of a captured Islamic State fighter in Iraq, ordering the military to punish the prosecutors who tried the case in the first place. Mr. Trump angrily lashed out [on Twitter] at the Navy for awarding commendations to prosecutors in the murder trial of Edward Gallagher, a former special operations chief, and he publicly instructed Pentagon officials to strip them of the medals. His announcement was a remarkable rebuke by a president of his own Navy leadership.... Chief Gallagher's case had become a cause célèbre among Republican lawmakers and the conservative news media, eventually drawing the attention of Mr. Trump, who spoke out on his behalf.... The prosecution was troubled long before the verdict.... Other presidents have been dissatisfied with military prosecutors, but experts could not recall another instance in recent times when a commander in chief intervened so directly in a case like this."

Courtney Kube of NBC News: "The United States has obtained intelligence that the son and potential successor of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Hamza bin Laden, is dead, according to three U.S. officials. The officials would no provide details of where or when Hamza bin Laden died or if the U.S. played a role in his death. Asked by reporters on Wednesday whether the U.S. had intelligence that Hamza is dead..., Donald Trump said, 'I don't want to comment on that.' Hamza bin Laden's last known public statement was released by al Qaeda's media arm in 2018. In that message, he threatened Saudi Arabia and called on the people of the Arabian peninsula to revolt." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Either Trump just showed an appropriate refusal to discuss a matter of national security, or he didn't know the answer. ...

     ... Update. Julian Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: "Details of the strike that killed [Hamza bin Laden] were scarce, including when and where. The United States government played a role in the operation, but it was not clear how, according to the officials, who discussed his death on the condition of anonymity.... Mr. bin Laden was killed sometime during the first two years of the Trump administration, officials said."

AP: "The U.S. government on Wednesday imposed financial sanctions on Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, as part of its escalating campaign of pressure against the Islamic Republic. The highly unusual action of penalizing the top diplomat of another nation comes a month after ... Donald Trump signed an executive order placing sanctions on Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei."

Ken Dilanian of NBC News: "The Trump administration's intelligence watchdog has declined a request from four top Senate Democrats to investigate how the White House has handled security clearances for Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and other employees, according to a letter obtained by NBC News. Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community, meaning the chief internal watchdog for the nation's intelligence agencies, wrote to the senators that he would be happy to conduct such an investigation, but could only do it if ... Donald Trump asks him. 'The authority over access to classified information ultimately rests with the President of the United States,' Atkinson wrote to Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, and the three other senators.... In response, the senators ... wrote a letter to Trump on Wednesday asking him to order an investigation." Mrs. McC: Fat chance." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Looks as if Trump's Article II interpretation "I can do whatever I want" is working. The whole purpose of a government watchdog is to look into possible wrongdoing by officials. But according to Atkinson, he can't "watch" officials unless one of those officials allows him to do so. If a watchdog has to gain permission to "watch," he cannot do his job.

Baltimore Church Boots Ben Carson. Cristina Cabrera of TPM: "Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and his staffers were shown the door on Wednesday when he tried to hold a press conference at Morning Star Baptist Church of Christ in Baltimore. Carson, who has a deep relationship with Johns Hopkins University and hospital in Baltimore, made the visit to the city on Wednesday amid the fallout over ... Donald Trump's racist comments directed at Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and his district in Baltimore.... According to the Baltimore Sun, a church member... asked Carson to leave after he noticed the secretary setting up camp in the church's vacant lot without asking for permission. When the HUD secretary moved his team elsewhere and began the presser, he lamented the church's 'animosity' to reporters." Mrs. McC: Now that's chutzpah. You work for a man who has attacked the city of Baltimore, then you complain about "animosity" in Baltimore.

Moscow Mitch's Minions. Natasha Bertrand & Theodoric Meyer of Politco: "Two former top staffers to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have lobbied Congress and the Treasury Department on the development of a new Kentucky aluminum mill backed by the Russian aluminum giant Rusal, according to a new lobbying disclosure. The disclosure comes as Democrats are pushing the Trump administration to review Rusal's $200 million investment in the Kentucky project -- concerned that the mill will supply the Defense Department -- and as McConnell weathers criticism for helping block a congressional effort to stop the investment.... The Russian firm was only able to make the investment after it won sanctions relief from penalties the Treasury Department initially imposed in April 2018 on Rusal and other companies owned by Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch and Kremlin ally accused of facilitating Moscow's nefarious activities, such as seizing land in Ukraine, supplying arms for the Syrian regime and meddling in other countries' elections. Attention over the sanctions relief deal have specifically focused on McConnell, given his role in halting a bipartisan congressional effort to stop the penalties rollback. McConnell told reporters in May that his support for lifting the sanctions was 'completely unrelated to anything that might happen in my home state.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Maybe an Insanity Defense. James Stewart, et al., of the New York Times: "Jeffrey E. Epstein, the wealthy financier who is accused of sex trafficking..., hoped to seed the human race with his DNA by impregnating women at his vast New Mexico ranch. Mr. Epstein over the years confided to scientists and others about his scheme, according to four people familiar with his thinking, although there is no evidence that it ever came to fruition. Mr. Epstein's vision reflected his longstanding fascination with what has become known as transhumanism: the science of improving the human population through technologies like genetic engineering and artificial intelligence. Critics have likened transhumanism to a modern-day version of eugenics, the discredited field of improving the human race through controlled breeding." ...

... Anna North of Vox: Alan Dershowitz, who helped negotiate a 'non-prosecution agreement' for Jeffrey Epstein in the controversial South Florida case, & who is himself a defendant in a case in which the complainant alleges she was underaged when she had sex with Dershowitz at Epstein's behest, thought this week would be a good time to complain that the age of consent is too high.

Beyond the Beltway

North Carolina. Gunshop Incites Violence against Congresswomen. Bliss Zechman of WTVC North Carolina (July 30): "A new billboard advertising Cherokee Guns depicts Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. The sign says above their photos, 'The 4 Horsemen Cometh are idiots,' and below says 'Signed, the Deplorables.' The store's owners say the billboard has been so successful that they have started selling a bumper sticker version...." ...

     ... Update. WTVC: The ad agency that owns the billboard -- Allison Outdoor Advertising -- is taking it down. "The billboard drew national attention..., with the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence sharing a Facebook post, calling it 'disgusting,' 'dangerous,' and condemning 'threats against members of Congress.'"

Ohio. Alex Johnson of NBC News: "Police in Columbus, Ohio, brought departmental charges on Wednesday against five officers who were involved in the arrest of Stormy Daniels at a strip club last year. Three of the five officers are named in a lawsuit Daniels brought against the city and the Columbus Police Department alleging that she was arrested in a political conspiracy to protect ... Donald Trump.... Daniels was arrested on July 11, 2018, at Sirens Gentlemen's Club on misdemeanor charges of inappropriately touching customers. The charges against Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, were dropped within hours, and charges against two other women who worked at the club were dropped within days. Police Chief Tom Quinlan said Wednesday that the officers were charged internally because they 'violated our rules of conduct.'"

Puerto Rico. Frances Robles & Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: "The ousted governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo A. Rosselló, chose his successor on Wednesday, nominating Pedro R. Pierluisi, who formerly represented the island in Congress, to serve as secretary of state. The move positions Mr. Pierluisi to take over as governor when Mr. Rosselló's resignation becomes effective later this week.... If he is confirmed by the territory's House and Senate, Mr. Pierluisi's nomination would settle the complicated succession question that has thrown the island into uncertainty in the days since Mr. Rosselló's unprecedented resignation.... But Mr. Pierluisi's confirmation seems far from certain, as a tense power struggle continues inside the ruling New Progressive Party, which supports Puerto Rican statehood. The powerful Senate president, Thomas Rivera Schatz, a contender for the secretary of state job himself, let it be known before the nomination was even official -- by calling a well-known local radio host -- that Mr. Pierluisi would not have enough votes to win confirmation in the Senate." (Also linked yesterday.)

Texas. Cary Aspinwall & Dave Boucher of the Dallas Morning News: "The News obtained Dallas Police Department body camera footage after a three-year fight for records related to [Tony] Timpa's death [while in Dallas police custody]. A federal judge ruled Monday in favor of a motion by The News and NBC5 to release records from his death, saying 'the public has a compelling interest in understanding what truly took place during a fatal exchange between a citizen and law enforcement.... The newly obtained video and records, part of a lawsuit filed by Timpa's family in federal court alleging excessive force, contradict key claims Dallas police have made in defending the officers' actions.... Three officers -- Kevin Mansell, Danny Vasquez and Dustin Dillard -- were indicted by a grand jury in 2017 on charges of misdemeanor deadly conduct, three months after The News published its investigation into Timpa's death. Following two days of testimony, the grand jury's indictment stated that the 'officers engaged in reckless conduct that placed Timpa in imminent danger of serious bodily injury.' But in March, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot dismissed the charges.'" ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: I didn't watch the video, but the report describes the officers' action in devastating detail. If you find yourself in trouble in Dallas, think twice before calling the cops. They might kill you. And think it was hilarious.

News Ledes

CBS News: "A regional gas pipeline ruptured early Thursday in Kentucky, causing a massive explosion that killed one person, hospitalized five others, destroyed railroad tracks and forced the evacuation of dozens of people from a nearby mobile home park, authorities said. Several structures caught fire in the area of the Indian Camp Trailer Park and were put out, CBS Lexington affiliate WKYT-TV reported. Emergency managers said some people were unaccounted for.... The explosion was so huge it showed up on radar, according to WKYT meteorologist Chris Bailey[.]... Lincoln County Emergency Management Director Don Gilliam said the flames reached about 300 feet in the air and could be seen throughout the county." Thanks to Ken W. for the link.

New York Times: "Hal Prince, the Broadway royal and prodigious Tony winner who produced or directed (and sometimes both) many of the most enduring musicals in theater history, including 'West Side Story,' 'Fiddler on the Roof,' 'Cabaret,' 'Sweeney Todd' and 'The Phantom of the Opera,' the longest-running show in Broadway history, died on Wednesday in Reykjavik, Iceland. He was 91." ...

... Frank Rich writes a remembrance.

The Commentariat -- July 31, 2019

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

Jeff Cox of CNBC: "The Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark rate by a quarter point Wednesday as an insurance policy not against what's wrong with the economy now, but what could go wrong in the future. It was the first rate cut by the central bank in more than a decade. Amid ... Donald Trump's intense political pressure and persistent market expectations, the policymaking Federal Open Market Committee dropped the target range for its overnight lending rate to 2% to 2.25%, or 25 basis points from the previous level." ...

... Fed Tries to Protect Economy from Trump. Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "The widely expected quarter-point move, the Fed's first since it cut rates to near zero in 2008, is meant to protect the economy against the potentially harmful effects of a growth slowdown in China and Europe and uncertainty from President Trump's trade war." ...

... Fred Imbert of CNBC: "Stocks fell to their lows of the day on Wednesday as the top Federal Reserve official dampened hopes for further rate cuts later this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 245 points lower, or 0.9%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite slid 0.8% and 0.8%, respectively. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters the central bank's rate cut was a mid-cycle adjustment,' hinting that further rate cuts later this year are not a sure thing."

Moscow Mitch's Minions. Natasha Bertrand & Theodoric Meyer of Politico: "Two former top staffers to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have lobbied Congress and the Treasury Department on the development of a new Kentucky aluminum mill backed by the Russian aluminum giant Rusal, according to a new lobbying disclosure. The disclosure comes as Democrats are pushing the Trump administration to review Rusal's $200 million investment in the Kentucky project -- concerned that the mill will supply the Defense Department -- and as McConnell weathers criticism for helping block a congressional effort to stop the investment.... The Russian firm was only able to make the investment after it won sanctions relief from penalties the Treasury Department initially imposed in April 2018 on Rusal and other companies owned by Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch and Kremlin ally accused of facilitating Moscow's nefarious activities, such as seizing land in Ukraine, supplying arms for the Syrian regime and meddling in other countries' elections. Attention over the sanctions relief deal have specifically focused on McConnell, given his role in halting a bipartisan congressional effort to stop the penalties rollback. McConnell told reporters in May that his support for lifting the sanctions was 'completely unrelated to anything that might happen in my home state.'"

Frances Robles & Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: "The ousted governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo A. Rosselló, chose his successor on Wednesday, nominating Pedro R. Pierluisi, who formerly represented the island in Congress, to serve as secretary of state. The move positions Mr. Pierluisi to take over as governor when Mr. Rosselló's resignation becomes effective later this week.... If he is confirmed by the territory's House and Senate, Mr. Pierluisi's nomination would settle the complicated succession question that has thrown the island into uncertainty in the days since Mr. Rosselló's unprecedented resignation.... But Mr. Pierluisi's confirmation seems far from certain, as a tense power struggle continues inside the ruling New Progressive Party, which supports Puerto Rican statehood. The powerful Senate president, Thomas Rivera Schatz, a contender for the secretary of state job himself, let it be known before the nomination was even official -- by calling a well-known local radio host -- that Mr. Pierluisi would not have enough votes to win confirmation in the Senate."

~~~~~~~~~~

2020 Presidential Race

CNN will host the second of two Democratic presidential debates tonight. New York: "Airing from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., [the debates tonight & Wednesday] will be available to stream online at CNN.com for free, no cable login required." Candidates debating tonight are Bennet, Biden, Booker, Castro, de Blasio, Gabbard, Gillibrand, Harris, Inslee & Yang.

     ... Click thru to Part 2.

Alexander Burns & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "The leading liberals in the Democratic presidential primary, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, strenuously fought back on Tuesday against accusations of making fanciful promises and imperiling the party's prospects against President Trump, as a group of moderate underdogs sought to slow their momentum in the second round of debates.... Both [Bernie Sanders] and [Elizabeth] Warren depicted skeptics of single-payer health care as being in league with the G.O.P.: Mr. Sanders accused a CNN moderator, Jake Tapper, of using a 'Republican talking point' when raising questions about his plan, and noted that 'the health care industry will be advertising tonight on this program.' In a similar complaint, Ms. Warren urged Democrats to 'stop using Republican talking points' on the issue."

Bridget Read of New York: “The debate was plagued by unidentifiable moderate Guys -- John Hickenlooper, John Delaney, Steve Bullock, Tim Ryan, like the roll call at a Rotary Club meeting -- who came ready to pontificate vaguely about the dangers of socialism and 'radical politics' and, if you're Bullock, how you want to create a 'Machinery Officer' and 'dominate the battery market.' This left the politicians with visions beyond 'I'm not Trump,' like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, to respond to their squabbling instead of focusing solely on where they stand on actual issues. And with moderators like Jake Tapper interrupting with curt 'Thank you's like an RA, even substantive discussions were largely cut off."

"Elizabeth Warren's Big Night." David Graham of the Atlantic: "As [Jake] Tapper noted, Democratic voters have told pollsters they prefer a candidate who will beat Donald Trump to a candidate they agree with ideologically. Warren argued that was a false choice":

I know how to fight and I know how to win.... I took on giant banks and I beat them. I took on Wall Street, and CEOs, and their lobbyists and their lawyers, and I beat them. I took on a popular Republican incumbent senator, and I beat him. I remember when people said Barack Obama couldn't get elected. Shoot, I remember when people said Donald Trump couldn't get elected.... There is a lot at stake, and people are scared. But we can't choose a candidate we don't believe in just because we're too scared to do anything else. And we can't ask other people to vote for a candidate we don't believe in. Democrats win when we figure out what is right and we get out there and fight for it. I am not afraid, and for Democrats to win, you can't be afraid either.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Ashley Feinberg of Slate: "CNN, being the enterprising cable network that it is, wasn't about to let [the cumbersome debate format] stop it from actively making the night as dumb as humanly possible. And so the moderators peppered the candidates with questions that were evidently designed to produce bad answers in the short format. Question after question was framed up from the ideological perspective of a Heritage Foundation intern or otherwise crafted as a gotcha to generate a 15-second clip for Republican attack ads down the line." Feinberg "translates" some of the question, many of which boil down to "Why are you so far-left?"

New York Times reporters are liveblogging Tuesday's Democratic presidential debates.

Adam Raymond of New York: "Democratic presidential candidate and billionaire activist Tom Steyer will not be onstage at either of this week's primary debates. But that won't stop him from making sure his pet issue of impeachment gets attention. Need to Impeach, a group Steyer started before getting into the race, has purchased airtime on CNN and MSNBC before and after the debates, Politico reports. It will air a 30-second ad cut together from Robert Mueller's testimony to Congress last week. The ad shows Mueller providing quick answers (his hesitation was edited out) to a series of questions from Democratic House members": ...

Catherine Kim of Vox: "... Donald Trump is now required to release his tax records if he wants to be on the California primary ballot -- a regulation he'll most likely fight in court. California Gov. Gavin Newson signed a law on Tuesday that requires all presidential candidates to turn over five years' worth of income tax filings by November in order to secure a spot in the March 3 primary. The financial documents will then be posted online with sensitive, personal information redacted. One catch: The law technically does not bar a candidate from appearing on the general election ballot in 2020. (So Trump could theoretically avoid disclosing them or fighting a court battle over the law by forsaking California's delegates in an uncontested primary, knowing he'd still get the GOP's nomination.)... Although the bill doesn't specifically name Trump, lawmakers have made it clear that he's the target."

"Trade Wars Are Easy to Win." Ana Swanson & Jeanna Smialek of the New York Times: "As trade talks between the United States and China resumed on Tuesday in Shanghai, President Trump began playing down the likelihood of a deal before the 2020 election. The president's comments, which came as top negotiators from the two countries were sitting down to dinner at the Fairmont Peace Hotel, underscored the diminishing prospects for a transformative trade deal anytime soon and the extent to which the bilateral relationship has not unfolded in the way that Mr. Trump expected.... [Trump] seemed to veer between goading China to quickly accede to America's demands and suggesting the country could get a better deal if it waits and a Democrat wins the 2020 presidential election." ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: The contrast between Trump's boasts & his failures would be comical if those crashing failures did not hurt millions of Americans & others around the world.

Peter Baker & Katie Rogers of the New York Times: "President Trump resumed his attacks on Baltimore and its congressman on Tuesday as African-American state lawmakers from Virginia planned to boycott his scheduled speech commemorating the 400th anniversary of representative democracy in the Western Hemisphere. Mr. Trump again disparaged Representative Elijah E. Cummings.... 'Baltimore is an example of what corrupt government leads to,' Mr. Trump told reporters as he left the White House for the event in Virginia. 'I feel so sorry for the people of Baltimore, and if they ask me, we will get involved.' Mr. Trump offered no evidence of corruption nor did he explain on what he based such an accusation.... Facing questions about his apparent willingness to divide his supporters and opponents along racial lines in recent days, Mr. Trump insisted that he was the 'the least racist person there is anywhere in the world.' Then he called the Rev. Al Sharpton, another recent adversary, 'a racist.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: Describing oneself (or someone else) as "the least racist person there is anywhere in the world" is, simply by the construction of the boast, a lie. ...

... All the African-Americans Are Calling the White House to Thank Trump. Steve Benen of MSNBC: President Trump said during a Q&A outside the White House Tuesday, "'What I've done for African Americans, no president, I would say, has done.' Unfortunately, Abraham Lincoln was unavailable for comment.... '... They are so happy, because I get the calls. They are so happy at what I've been able to do in Baltimore and other Democratic run corrupt cities. The money has been stolen.... And the African-American community is so thankful. They call me and they say, "Finally, somebody is telling the truth."'... This is, of course, the same president who recently denied the existence of 'racial tension' in the United States, adding that he has 'fantastic relationships with the African-American community' -- despite a 13% approval rating among black voters.... It's a safe bet that Trump was describing made-up conversations." ...

... Washington Cathedral: "This week, President Trump crossed another threshold. Not only did he insult a leader in the fight for racial justice and equality for all persons; not only did he savage the nations from which immigrants to this country have come; but now he has condemned the residents of an entire American city.... When such violent dehumanizing words come from the President of the United States, they are a clarion call, and give cover, to white supremacists who consider people of color a sub-human 'infestation' in America. They serve as a call to action from those people to keep America great by ridding it of such infestation. Violent words lead to violent actions. When does silence become complicity? What will it take for us all to say, with one voice, that we have had enough? The question is less about the president's sense of decency, but of ours.... We must boldly stand witness against the bigotry, hatred, intolerance, and xenophobia that is hurled at us, especially when it comes from the highest offices of this nation." ...

... Jamil Smith of Rolling Stone: "A white-nationalist presidency is untenable. Having to endure one while the man in the office has committed obvious crimes, such as obstruction of justice, is even worse.... The president reminded us that we are governed in part by a cable channel.... One of the high crimes and misdemeanors listed in the Constitution is 'dereliction of duty.' In his attack on Cummings, the president made it clear that, in violation of his oath of office, he doesn't want to be the president of Baltimore. Nor, one can presume, would he be the president of any urban area that was populated by people who didn't vote primarily for him." ...

... ** Our Racist Presidents. Tim Naftali in the Atlantic: "The day after the United Nations voted to recognize the People's Republic of China, then-California Governor Ronald Reagan phoned President Richard Nixon at the White House and vented his frustration at the delegates who had sided against the United States. 'Last night, I tell you, to watch that thing on television as I did,' Reagan said. 'Yeah,' Nixon interjected. Reagan forged ahead...: 'To see those, those monkeys from those African countries -- damn them, they're still uncomfortable wearing shoes!' Nixon gave a huge laugh.... [Later, Nixon called his Secretary of State William Rogers (twice) to relay Reagan's message:] '... he is, of course, outraged. And I found out what outraged him, and I find this is typical of a lot of people: They saw it on television and, he said, "These cannibals jumping up and down and all that."'... Reagan's comment about African leaders resonated with Nixon, because it reflected his warped thinking about African Americans." Includes audio. Read on. Naftali's point is that Nixon tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his own racist beliefs behind Reagan's, while Trump doesn't try to hide his.

Caleb Ecarma of Mediaite: "On Tuesday, Donald Trumppromoted two of his supporters on Twitter who are actively perpetuating the QAnon conspiracy -- a theory that alleges the president is secretly working with the military to unfurl a multinational cabal of elite, ritualistic pedophiles -- including one account that accused the Clintons of consuming the fluids of dead children. Shortly after Trump shared the Twitter handle of one crackpot supporter, he retweeted a post by user @LYNNTHO06607841 -- calling Democrats 'THE TRUE ENEMIES OF AMERICA' -- which is an account that has promoted QAnon and adjacent theories, including the belief that the Clintons are slowing their aging process by 'sacrificing children' and drinking from their adrenal glands." ...

... Betsy Woodruff & Kevin Poulsen of the Daily Beast: "Twitter has suspended a conspiracy-peddling account amplified by ... Donald Trump.... Trump retweeted the account, which used the display name 'LYNN THOMAS' and the handle @LYNNTHO06607841, on Tuesday afternoon. By early Tuesday evening, the account had been suspended. A source familiar with the matter told The Daily Beast that the account was suspended for violating the Twitter rule that bars users from using multiple accounts to artificially amplify or disrupt conversations.... Before the suspension, the account enthusiastically pushed Qanon conspiracy memes and bizarre theories about prominent Democrats murdering children to harvest their pineal glands.... Though Twitter recently announced it will affix warning labels to tweets from public figures that violate its rules, it didn't use that option on Trump's tweets about Cummings."

Sylvan Lane of the Hill: "President Trump on Tuesday boosted pressure on the Federal Reserve to slash interest rates this week, calling for a 'large cut' to counter a series of hikes in 2018. Trump continued his assault ahead of the independent central bank's policymaking meeting in Washington, which will start Tuesday. The Fed is expected to announce at least a modest reduction of interest rates Wednesday amid slowing global growth and fading U.S. business investment. Trump again accused the Fed and its chairman, Jerome Powell, [Mrs. McC: whom Trump appointed,] of hindering his economic agenda by raising rates seven times under his watch. 'The Fed moved, in my opinion, far too early and for too severely. It puts me at a somewhat of a disadvantage,' Trump said. 'Fortunately I've made the economy so strong that nothing's going to stop us. But the Fed could have made it much easier.' Trump has been quick to blame a recent slowdown in U.S. growth on the Fed while calling on the bank to cut rates. Even so, some of the Fed's rationale for cutting rates is based in economic threats exacerbated by Trump's trade agenda." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Another Remarkably Stupid Trump Trick: Jari Tanner of the AP: "American rapper A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty to assault as his trial in Sweden opened Tuesday, a month after a street fight that landed him in jail and became a topic of U.S.-Swedish diplomacy. Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is accused with two others of beating a 19-year-old man in Stockholm on June 30. Prosecutors played video footage in court that showed Mayers throwing a young man to the ground.... The Grammy-nominated artist's extended detention prompted ... Donald Trump to personally intervene on his behalf earlier this month Mayers nevertheless remained behind bars, angering Trump. Swedish news agency TT said Trump sent the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs [Robert O'Brien] to Stockholm to monitor the court proceedings and to show support for Mayers." Emphasis added. ...

     ... Mrs. McC: That Trump would send the envoy for hostage affairs to monitor a trial conducted in Sweden is beyond appalling. Unlike the U.S., Sweden has no recent history of human rights abuses, & there has been no suggestion that Mayers was treated differently from Swedish defendants accused of violent crimes. Sweden certainly was not holding him hostage. Trump's point was to offend another ally. Congrats, Donnie. You succeeded.

Presidunt* Snowflake. Asawin Suebsaeng & Maxwell Tani of The Daily Beast: "In recent weeks, those close to Donald Trump have noticed him routinely asking media figures, longtime friends, and his political advisers a new, very leading question, often asked in the exact same way: 'What the hell is going on at Fox?' According to three people who have independently spoken to Trump about Fox News over the past four weeks, the president has repeatedly asked that question.... The president ... sounded surprised and frustrated that he was seeing too many people to his liking on the network treating him 'unfairly' on their shows." --s

Miriam Jordan of the New York Times: "In the year since President Trump officially ended family separations at the southern border, immigration authorities have removed more than 900 migrant children from their families, sometimes for reasons as minor as a parent not changing a baby's diaper or having a traffic citation for driving without a license, according to new documents filed Tuesday in federal court.... Earlier this month, the acting Homeland Security secretary, Kevin McAleenan, said in testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Committee that separations were 'rare' and made only 'in the interest of the child.'... The new numbers were filed [by the ACLU] with Judge Dana M. Sabraw of the Federal District Court in San Diego as part of the court's continuing supervision of the family separation issue."

Ted Hesson & Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A decision issued Monday by Attorney General William Barr will restrict the ability of migrants to claim asylum based on their family relations. In a precedent-setting immigration court opinion, Barr said that simply being part of a nuclear family targeted for persecution doesn't qualify as a 'particular social group' eligible for asylum in the United States. 'The fact that a criminal group -- such as a drug cartel, gang, or guerrilla force -- targets a group of people does not, standing alone, transform those people into a particular social group,' the attorney general wrote.... To receive asylum in the U.S., applicants must prove they faced persecution in their home countries based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Barr's decision Monday will limit the ability of a familial relationship to qualify as 'membership in a particular social group.'" --s (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Here's Why Sexual Assault Victims Don't Come Forward. Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "With the female accuser looking on, two prominent women on Tuesday exerted their considerable influence on matters relating to sexual assault and the military, saying that they do not believe that President Trump's nominee for vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff sexually assaulted a subordinate multiple times in 2017. Both Heather A. Wilson, the former Air Force secretary, and Senator Martha McSally, Republican of Arizona and a self-described survivor of sexual assault in the military, strongly and unequivocally defended Gen. John E. Hyten of the Air Force during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Seated several rows behind the general was Col. Kathryn A. Spletstoser, a 28-year Army officer with four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. In an interview last week with The New York Times, she described numerous instances of unwanted touching by the general, culminating in what she described as an assault in her hotel room in December 2017."

Alexander Mallin, et al., of ABC News: "... Donald Trump's pick for the next director of national intelligence, Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, has misrepresented his role in an anti-terrorism case that he's repeatedly cited among his credentials related to national security issues. The apparent embellishment is related to two anti-terrorism financing trials in a case known as the U.S. v. Holy Land Foundation, the second of which resulted in convictions for several individuals found to have illegally funneled charity money to the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas. In a 2015 press release, Ratcliffe's House website stated, 'When serving by special appointment in U.S. v. Holy Land Foundation, he convicted individuals who were funneling money to Hamas behind the front of a charitable organization.' His official campaign website, in a February 2016 post, also touted his 'special appointment as the prosecutor in U.S. v. Holy Land Foundation, one of the nation's largest terrorism financing cases.' But ABC News could find no public court records that connect Ratcliffe to either of the two trials for the case. Former officials directly involved in the decade-long Holy Land Foundation investigation could not recall Ratcliffe having any role, and four former defense attorneys who served on the cases told ABC News on Monday they had no recollection of Ratcliffe being involved with any of the proceedings that resulted in the convictions of their clients." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... Will Sommer of the Daily Beast: John Ratcliffe "played a role last year in popularizing what briefly became one of the right's most easily debunked conspiracy theories about the investigation into the president and Russia, offering what he presented as evidence of an anti-Trump 'secret society' operating within the FBI.... One of Ratcliffe's biggest contributions to the Republican pushback on the investigation came in January 2018, when he claimed he had seen text messages between [FBI officials Lisa] Page and [Peter] Strzok that suggested the existence of a 'secret society' working against Trump. But Ratcliffe's claims, which were subsequently amplified by pro-Trump media outlets, fell apart when the fuller text exchanges became public.... ABC News published the full text message two days after Ratcliffe made his viral Fox appearance, revealing that the 'secret society' text referenced calendars of a 'beefcake' Vladimir Putin that Strzok was giving out as gifts to people who worked on the Russia investigation." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

     ... Mrs. McCrabbie: So if you were wondering if Ratcliffe really would cherry-pick intelligence information to skew the facts, there's you're answer. This lie alone renders him unfit to serve as White House intelligence chief. Now that we know Ratcliffe lied about his supposed "intelligence experience" acquired while serving as a U.S. prosecutor, his only intelligence experience is sitting for 6 months or so on the House Intelligence Committee, an experience he used to lie about intelligence. All the best people, etc. ...

... David Priess of Lawfare: "The nomination-by-tweet of Republican Representative John Ratcliffe of Texas as Director of National Intelligence to replace outgoing DNI Dan Coats has drawn rapid and harsh condemnation from many political observers and even former intelligence officers for his apparent partisanship and lack of experience.... Ratcliffe ... came right out of central casting for Trump. But he looks quite differently when compared to the men and women who have led the nation's intelligence efforts for more than seven decades. Should his nomination go forward, senators have many valid questions to ask not only about his political tirades, but also about how he plans to overcome his relative lack of intelligence exposure and senior management experience."

Ben Tobin of the Louisville Courier Journal (July 29): "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor Monday to blast the 'hyperventilating hacks' who have accused him a being a Russian sympathizer. The Kentucky Republican compared the attacks to 'modern-day McCarthyism.'" ...

... Carl Hulse of the New York Times: Mitch McConnell “is incensed by the name 'Moscow Mitch,' and even more miffed that he has been called a 'Russian asset' by critics who accuse him of single-handedly blocking stronger election security measures after Russia's interference in 2016.... Mr. McConnell said Monday that he would not be intimidated into acting on election interference.... The hashtag #MoscowMitchMcTraitor was trending on Twitter, and Senate Republicans of all stripes were being asked about the blockade.... With the focus on the issue intensifying, Mr. McConnell and Senate Republicans will face more pressure to act."

Sarah Fitzpatrick, et al., of NBC News: "The organizations that should have protected young female gymnasts from sexual abuse by former Olympic gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, including the U.S. Olympic Committee and the FBI, 'fundamentally failed' to do so for years, according to a new congressional report. In an interview with NBC News, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the ranking member of the Senate subcommittee overseeing the Olympics, described the actions of the organizations as a 'cover-up.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Kevin Drum of Mother Jones: "Conservatives have been trying to enact a stealth cut in the capital gains tax via inflation indexing for as long as I can remember, but they've never been able to get it passed by Congress. So now, encouraged by President Trump's belief that the executive can do anything he wants, [Republican senators] decided to skip the whole tedious lawmaking thing and just ask Mnuchin to do it by fiat.... Only 21 Republican senators signed [a letter to Mnuchin urging him to eliminate inflationary gains]. This means that 32 Republicans declined to sign a letter in support of a tax cut. That probably shows just how bad an idea this is.... CBPP estimates that indexing capital gains would cut taxes on the rich by $100-200 billion over ten years. This actually isn't a huge sum, but in a way that makes this even worse. Are Republicans really this desperate to pander to the rich?"

Congressional Elections 2020

Al Weaver & Julia Manchester of the Hill: "The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) saw a mass departure of senior staff late Monday amid outcry over the lack of diversity within the committee's top ranks under Chairwoman Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.).... The exits come on the heels of the resignation of the committee's executive director, Allison Jaslow, which she announced at an all-staff meeting earlier on Monday." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Adiós. Melanie Zanona & Jake Sherman of Politico: "Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas will not seek reelection in 2020, according to multiple GOP sources, becoming the fifth Republican to announce their retirement over the past two weeks.... Conaway has served in Congress for 15 years, but stepped into the national spotlight in 2017 when he was tasked with leading the House Intelligence Committee's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election." --s

Josh Gerstein of Politico: "A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit the Democratic National Committee filed against the Trump campaign, the Russian government, WikiLeaks and various Trump campaign officials over alleged involvement in the hacking of Democratic Party email accounts during the 2016 presidential race. U.S. District Judge John Koeltl rejected the central theory of the racketeering suit: that the Trump campaign, campaign aides and Trump allies abetted the theft of the emails by encouraging WikiLeaks to publish the messages and by urging they be released when they would be of maximum political benefit to then-candidate Donald Trump." Mrs. McC: Koeltl is a Clinton appointee. Koeltl said such actions were protected by the First Amendment when taken by people not involved in the actual hacking."

Emily Flitter & Karen Weise of the New York Times: "A software engineer in Seattle hacked into a server holding customer information for Capital One and obtained the personal data of over 100 million people, federal prosecutors said on Monday, in one of the largest thefts of data from a bank. The suspect, Paige Thompson, 33, left a trail online for investigators to follow as she boasted about the hacking, according to court documents in Seattle, where she was arrested and charged with one count of computer fraud and abuse." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Beyond the Beltway

Michigan. Jonathan Oosting of the Detroit News: "Republicans are suing to stop Michigan's new citizen redistricting commission before it begins, alleging the voter-approved amendment is 'blatantly unconstitutional' and discriminates against participants based on political service or family ties. The federal lawsuit, filed Tuesday morning with the U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, seeks to invalidate Proposal 2, block implementation and prevent the independent commission from drawing new legislative and congressional district maps for the 2022 election cycle. Instead, whichever political party wins control of the state Legislature next year would lead that process in 2021. Republicans drew existing lines in 2011 and currently hold majorities in the Michigan House and Senate." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Mississippi. Michael Braga, et al. of GateHouse Media: "More than half of all rural hospitals in Mississippi, South Carolina, Georgia and Oklahoma lost money from 2011 through 2017.... What these states also have in common is that legislators voted against expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, which would have provided coverage for hundreds of thousands of uninsured residents and bolstered rural hospital bottom lines.... In the meantime, residents of deep red rural America -- farmers and farm workers, small business owners and their employees, the old and infirm -- are seeing their hospitals founder and close." --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Way Beyond

Reuters: "North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast less than a week after a similar test launch, the South Korean military's joint chiefs of staff (JCS) said.... North Korea test-fired two new short-range ballistic missiles on 25 July, its first missile tests since Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump met in late June and agreed to revive stalled denuclearisation talks." --s